


Pokémon: Currently Unnamed Sword & Shield Fic: Prologue

by TheRareHunterH



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:47:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27519358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRareHunterH/pseuds/TheRareHunterH
Summary: Before Gloria's Major League journey began, she discovers that being a trainer is more fun than she ever could've imagined.  This story catalogues her first encounter with Sobble and the antics that ensued.[in-progress]
Kudos: 1





	Pokémon: Currently Unnamed Sword & Shield Fic: Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm redoing this storyline, so this might end up changing quite a bit!

From her seat in the train station, Gloria heard the train clacking down the tracks as it pulled out of Wedgehurst. The waiting area’s bright lights betrayed the pitch blackness outside. She was counting on them to keep her awake. In the corner of her eye, she saw the old man at the ticket counter move. As late as it was, it was probably time to shutter the window for the night. 

He paused to look at her and adjusted his visor. “You didn’t board? The outbound train only goes one way, you know. It’ll be hours before the next one.”

Gloria kept her gaze on the floor, where she kicked at nothing. “Yeah, I know.” In truth, there were no good targets on that train.

“So, where you headed? All the way to Motostoke?”

“Yeah. Uhm, I’m meeting a friend here. It’d be harder to find each other in Motostoke.” That was a lie. Gloria always worked alone.

“Well, suit yourself! I hope your friend shows up soon. Otherwise, you’re in for a mighty boring wait.” The man minded his own business as he closed the ticket window with an obnoxious thud. Minutes later, he sauntered out the entrance. Good riddance.

With no one there to tell her off, Gloria kicked at the floor harder and got a satisfying skidding sound out of it. Before her foot could pendulum back into place, something shot out from behind it. She yelped, thinking she’d just kicked something into existence. She yelped again, louder, as the object sprinted back and grabbed onto her foot.

With her heart still racing, her eyes locked with another pair of eyes. She slowly raised her foot, never breaking eye contact with a tiny, wide-eyed lizard whose fin bobbed around as it kept tilting its head, looking at her from different angles.

Her foot went as high as she cared to bring it. She gave a small jolt at the end, but the creature didn’t react.

Gloria broke the silent standoff. “Hello? You’re an odd one.”

Triggered out of its observational ritual, it steadied and squeaked back at her. 

Gloria trusted that there was more curiosity than aggression in its tone, and she brought her hand near to it. “Get off my foot, please? You can sit up here with me.”

The creature looked at her hand, then crawled under it and up her leg. It settled down in the seat next to her.

“Eugh. But try to stay off my legs.”

It didn’t respond. Its body was curled around its spherical tail, and its head faced the ground. As the resident loitering champion and queen of ground-staring, Gloria knew for a fact that there wasn’t anything interesting down there.

She nudged it with the back of her hand. “Hey, you okay? Give me one squeak if yes, two squeaks for no.”

No response.

Gloria brought her bag onto her lap. “Silence wasn’t an option, but… hmmm. How about this?” She fished out her water bottle and placed its cap next to the creature. She poured some water into it, creating a shallow pool. The creature moved its entire head to look at her, and she could’ve sworn she saw bags in the scaly skin under its eyes.

Gloria nudged the cap closer to it. “Go on! Don’t be shy.”

The creature crawled to the cap and stuck its face in it. Not a second later, it pulled back, and the water was gone.

“Here.” Gloria poured in a little more water. “You’re a blue guy, so I assumed Water-type. Dehydration must really suck for you.”

The creature squeaked and inhaled the new cap of water with a quick gulp.

Gloria poured more water for it. “Well, would you look at me! Mom always said I’d never make anything of myself, but here I am, practically a Pokemon Trainer!”

The creature squeaked again. Although its dumb lizard brain couldn’t possibly understand what Gloria was saying, she could’ve sworn it had agreed with her. She didn’t know whether to be flattered or offended.

A bark came from the entrance of the station. A large, gaudy robe with a woman inside strode in, with a tiny, round Yamper plodding behind it. Gloria’s personal space was invaded for a second time as Yamper jumped up and pawed at her tights, but the giant blue robe diverted the overexcited dog Pokemon with the brush of a cane.

“No, no, Yamper. Leave them alone.”

The robe seated itself as far away from Gloria as possible. Now Gloria could get down to business with the plot she’d been concocting ever since the tiny blue lizard had accepted her kindness.

Gloria nudged her palm into the creature, and it obliged and crawled on. She brought the creature close, to eye level, and whispered. “You hear that? She called us ‘them.’ We’re practically a unit. Partners in crime. Okay, here’s the deal- … Wait, what should I call you?”

The creature tilted its head and its cranial fin swayed to the side. Gloria had no idea if it understood anything she said.

“How about Fin? Okay, Fin. We’ve gotta make a few bucks before getting to Motostoke. And that lady over there, she’s our meal ticket. She wreaks powerfully of, ‘I’m carrying my whole bank account with me.’”

Fin squeaked and smiled, and Gloria felt a little guilty that she was saddling this poor creature a criminal record. Although, who was she to say what Fin did in its spare time? They’d only just met, after all.

The hour progressed and passengers filed in. They ran the gamut from a messy-clothed “quaint” all the way to a-nice-suit-for-the-weekend “loaded.” Some of these people were clearly setting themselves up for a fun night in Motostoke. But all paled in comparison to the blue-robed lady in the corner. Gloria licked her lips, thinking of all the fancy meals she’d never gotten to try before in Motostoke.

Once the inbound train pulled in, and Gloria’s legs bounced with restlessness. Despite her eagerness, she hung back, watching each pair of legs walk by and estimating where they kept their wallets. The last few patrons filed in, and Gloria followed with her new lizard companion hanging out on her shoulder.

She boarded and her eyes adjusted to the pale light and red interior of the first car. Plenty of people had already settled into their routine for the trip, already nose-deep in phones, tables, and books. she saw that plenty of people had already settled into a routine in preparation for the train ride. No one was milling about in this car, so she’d try a different one.

The next car over, most were seated, but a few stood perusing between the local seats and eyeing the door to the third car. There wasn’t much action, aside from one man who strode from the third car towards the first. He he huffed quite a few times within the span of a few seconds, like he himself was a locomotive. Gloria sunk into a nearby seat and watched. He walked past her, and there it was: the corner of a brown leather wallet peeking out over one of his back pockets.

Gloria tapped Fin on the cheek and whispered. “See? That’s what we call in the biz an ‘easy target.’” 

She decided to use the second car as her vantage point to keep track of the man. He’d be back, because he certainly wasn’t going to find a seat in the first car. Once she’d relieved him of his wealth, she’d sneak around to find that woman in the blue robe.

Not a second later, the door to the first car opened, and the man Gloria was tracking was talking with his hands to an employee who walked with him. The employee stopped and turned to the man, “Sir, I understand your frustration. But if the ticket station’s closed, then there’s nothing we can do. You can pay the higher price for a ticket now that you’re on board, or you can disembark.”

The man threw his hands down and huffed again. “I told you, I don’t got that kind of money right now! Not until I meet up with my girlfriend in Motostoke.” The way he said ‘girlfriend’ almost made it sound like he was bragging.

Gloria nudged Fin again, still keeping her voice low. “Can you believe this guy? Sounds like it’ll be chump change, but us beggars can’t be choosers. Until we get more money. Let’s go.”

Fin chirped and Gloria stood up. She went for the middle of the aisle, knowing that it’d look suspicious if she headed straight for the man and the employee while they were giving passerby a wide berth to their right.

Gloria nudged Fin with her cheek. “Brace yourself, I’ll try to be gentle.”

She pushed Fin gently from the back. His little lizard palms gripped tighter into the fabric of her shirt. She pushed again, harder this time, and Fin jumped down and waddled through the narrow space to the left of the man and the employee.

“Oh, Fin, come back! Excuse me, I’m sorry!” Gloria pushed past them, bumping into the complaining man a little harder than she should’ve.

“Hey, watch it, lady!”

“Sorry!” Gloria shut her palm tight just to make sure she’d actually secured the wallet, and success. She pulled down her sleeve over her clasped hand and followed Fin into the first car. In the brief moment she was outside, she pilfered the cash and threw the emptied wallet over the tracks, into a ditch.

Gloria caught up with Fin, and she scooped it up into her arms. “Fin, you shouldn’t run off like that!” With her false display of indignation out of the way, she placed him on her shoulder with all the care and reverence as if she were making a seat for royalty up there. “Nice work!”

The door opened with a thud, and the employee from before resumed his station somewhere at the front of the train. The man wasn’t following him anymore, meaning he hadn’t yet discovered that he had a missing wallet to complain about.

The train lurched forward. Gloria needed to figure out her next seating situation so she could hone in on her next target. Coming to mind was a certain blue-robed lady with an annoying Yamper.

Her most recent victim had probably already been kicked off the train, thanks to her. She thought about pulling off her hoodie and undoing her ponytail just to look a little different as she moved to a different car. But she decided to save her lightweight disguise for later. She hadn’t directly antagonized anyone, yet. 


End file.
